1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for supporting ovens, and more particularly, to an apparatus for supporting an oven and providing added work space for securely supporting cookware used in conjunction with the oven.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Microwave ovens have become increasingly popular primarily as a result of their convenience and efficient useage of energy. When used in the home, the microwave oven is typically placed upon a counter top within the kitchen adjacent the food preparation area. An area of approximately five square feet of counter space is required to support a conventional microwave oven. In many kitchens, counter space is already in short supply; the loss of the counter space needed to support the microwave oven only worsens the shortage of counter space.
When utilizing a microwave oven, it is often necessary to remove the food container from the oven before cooking is completed to allow stirring, mixing, or basting of the food being cooked. Typically, the food container is placed on a counter top or another smooth surface which does not provide reasonable stability of the food container when the food is mixed or stirred. For this reason, it is not uncommon for cookware used in conjunction with microwave ovens to slip and break during mixing and stirring operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,384 discloses a fold-away table structure slidably carried by a floor-mounted cabinet. However, such a fold-away table has several disadvantages in relation to compensating for counter space occupied by a microwave oven. For example, the fold-away table includes support legs which must be installed and subsequently stowed away each time the table is used. In addition, the fold-away table requires that extensive modifications be made to an existing cabinet in order to incorporate such a table. Should it be desirable to relocate the microwave oven to a different area of the kitchen or to a different home, the fold-away table is not easily removable from its prior location. Furthermore, the fold-away table provides a smooth surface on which cookware may slide when the food contained therein is stirred or mixed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in conjunction with an oven, the apparatus providing a work surface to compensate for counter space used to support the oven.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in conjunction with an oven and providing a retractable work surface immediately in front of the oven.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in conjunction with an oven, the apparatus including a non-slip cookware support for supporting various sized cookware used in conjunction with the oven.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retractable work surface for use in conjunction with an oven wherein no modifications need be made to cabinetry or counter tops already existing within a kitchen.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a retractable work surface for use in conjunction with an oven wherein the retractable work surface may be easily relocated whenever the oven is relocated.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds.